An Analytical Study of the Sociology of Suicide and Social Disconnection in Southwest Nigerian Communities

Suicide rates in Nigeria have received insufficient sociological research attention relative to their documented public health burden, and Durkheim's classical social integration framework has not been rigorously applied to contemporary Southwest Nigerian community contexts. This study analytically investigates the sociology of suicide through the lens of social disconnection in selected communities in Ondo and Ekiti States, South West Nigeria, filling a documented research gap. A mixed-methods analytical design was employed, combining secondary analysis of suicide incidence data from twelve hospitals in the two states covering 2019 to 2024 with primary qualitative data gathered through twenty-two in-depth interviews with bereaved family members, community leaders, and mental health practitioners. Durkheimian anomie and social integration concepts were operationalised and applied analytically to the qualitative data. Quantitative analysis reveals a 38% increase in documented suicide cases across the two states over the five-year analysis period, consistent with national upward trends. Qualitative analysis identifies social disconnection dynamics including loss of family economic status, social isolation following migration of kin to urban areas, and failed marriage expectations as the most frequently recurring antecedents in bereaved family accounts. Economic strain during the naira crisis period corresponded temporally with elevated incidence, suggesting anomic mechanisms. Male victims outnumbered female victims three to one, with younger males aged 20 to 35 most overrepresented. Religious and family social integration was the most frequently identified protective factor. The study contributes an analytically grounded sociological investigation of suicide that is largely absent from the Nigerian academic literature. Keywords: suicide, social disconnection, Durkheim, anomie, South West Nigeria.